Ross Macdonald put a big-time exclamation mark on his successful title defense Sunday at the 36th CGA Western Chapter Championship.

The University of Colorado golfer from the Country Club at Castle Pines played his final nine holes of the event in 7-under-par 29 at The Bridges Golf & Country Club in Montrose. That torrid stretch gave Macdonald a nine-stroke victory in the 36-hole event.

The 22-year-old from Castle Rock (left) finished with a 6-under-par 65 — the best championship flight score on Sunday by six shots — to post a 6-under 136 total. That made Macdonald the first back-to-back winner of the championship since Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Rick DeWitt accomplished the feat in 2001 and ’02. DeWitt won the Western Chapter title five times.

On the back nine Sunday, Macdonald recorded two eagles — on No. 10 and 17 — and added birdies on 11, 12 and 18 to shoot the 29. It marked the first time Macdonald has ever broken 30 for nine holes on a championship course, and the 65 is his low tournament score ever. In addition, he can never remember making two eagles in nine holes before.

Macdonald needed just 11 putts to negotiate the greens on the back nine on Sunday.

“That was really cool,” Macdonald said of his 29. “Going into 18, the only thing I was thinking about was shooting 29, which I’d never done in my life. That was definitely a good way to go out.”

Macdonald had started out his title defense by being 3 over par after five holes on Saturday. But he closed with three straight birdies that day for a 71. On Sunday, he was 1 over par through nine holes when things turned on a dime.

He made a 20 footer for eagle on 10, a 25 footer for birdie on 11 and a 10 footer for birdie on 12. He parred the next four holes, twice getting up and down, including making a 20 footer on No. 16.

On No. 17, he hit a 5-iron from 235 yards to a foot for another eagle. Then he rolled in a downhill slider from 15 feet on No. 18 to close with a birdie.

“It was really nice to put that round together — and that nine — to come in with a good margin of victory,” Macdonald said.

And the result — going back-to-back in the Western Chapter — was satisfying considering Macdonald originally wasn’t planning to play in the event.

“I feels really good,” he said. “Two weeks ago, I looked at it and didn’t have anything on my schedule (for this week). I just thought it would be a good one to play in. And I think it’s always good to pay respect and go back and defend a title. I’ve been playing really well the last five or six months so I felt really good. And I thought of this (course) as a good challenge — and a good challenge to see if I could go back to back.”

Macdonald now owns four CGA titles, having also won the Colorado Junior Amateur in back-to-back years (2013 and ’14).

As he noted, the CU golfer has been performing well in recent months, having placed second in both the Pac-12 Conference Championships and the CGA Match Play.

First-round leader Barry Erwin of Murphy Creek Golf Course tied for second place at 145 after a second-round 76 on Sunday. Sharing runner-up honors with him was Cameron Barnhardt of Dalton Ranch Golf Club, who closed with a 74. Blake Schneiter placed fourth at 146 after his second straight 73.

Meanwhile, the senior title was decided in extra holes on Sunday.

Scott Sullivan (left) of Bookcliff Country Club in Grand Junction tied three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club in regulation, with both players finishing at 2-over-par 144. But Sullivan broke the tie on the first playoff hole by making a par while Polk recorded a bogey.

Sullivan shot a 3-under-par 68 on Sunday, improving on his first-round score by eight. He played his final 14 holes of regulation in 4 under par. For the day, he made six birdies and three bogeys.

Polk birdied his final hole of regulation — No. 9 — to force the playoff. He finished the day with three birdies, three bogeys (including the playoff) and a double bogey.

Placing third among the seniors on Sunday was 2017 CGA Senior Player of the Year Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course, who closed with a 71.

For scores from the Western Chapter Championship, click on the following: OPEN, SENIOR.

The Bridges Golf & Country Club (left) in Montrose will host the 36-hole stroke-play event, which runs Saturday and Sunday. Ninety-nine players are signed up for the competition.

Ross Macdonald of the Country Club at Castle Pines, who won last year’s open division by three strokes, will be back to defend his title. The University of Colorado golfer has put up some notable finishes in the last few months, placing second individually in the Pac-12 Conference Championship and being runner-up in the CGA Match Play.

Also in the open field are Chris Carlson of Highlands Ranch Golf Club, a former CGA Mid-Amateur champion who placed third in the Western Chapter last year, and former CGA Four-Ball champion Barry Erwin of Murphy Creek Golf Course.

Defending his senior division championship this weekend will be Brian Woody of the Ridge at Castle Pines North. Likewise competing among the seniors are Robert Polk of Colorado Golf Club, a three-time CGA Senior Player of the Year, and 2017 Senior POY Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course.

For Saturday’s pairings in the Western Chapter Championship, CLICK HERE.

There’s no two ways about it: AJ Ott was Ram tough on Friday.

There are examples of greater margins of victory in the finals of the CGA Match Play than the one the Colorado State University golfer dealt out this week, but not many.

When the player from Ptarmigan Country Club beat University of Colorado golfer Ross Macdonald, from the Country Club at Castle Pines, for the title in the CGA’s oldest championship on Friday, it was by a formidable 9-and-8 score.

In the 118-year history of the tournament, that made it into the top five in terms of most lopsided results in scheduled 36-hole finals for this event.

The only ones higher on that list are:

— 12 and 11: Brandt Jobe over Bill Fowler in 1985.

— 12 and 11: Harold Fisher over D.B. Ellis in 1909.

— 10 and 9: Zen Brown over Tom Glissmeyer in 2007.

— 10 and 9: N.C. “Tub” Morris over E.A. Campbell in 1927.

And there are two other finals that matched the 9-and-8 score from Friday at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton.

But suffice it to say that Ott’s performance was a rarity. In a matchup of two friends who happen to play at rival college programs in Colorado, the Fort Collins resident never trailed and ended up playing the 28 holes of the match in 8 under par, with a few concessions thrown in that might have lessened that total slightly.

It’s the first CGA championship for Ott (left and above), who was the Junior Golf Alliance of Colorado’s male player of the year in 2016.

“Ross is a year older than me and I’ve looked up to him since I was 9 or 10 years old. He’s one of my really good friends,” Ott said. “Just to be able to play him in the final was an honor. I know he probably didn’t have his best game today, but a match like that can go either way any time. But he’s been a role model to me, honestly, for 10 or 12 years, so it was cool to be able to play him.

“With the CU-CSU thing, we honestly just embrace it and have more state pride, so that was really cool. We both play in a lot of the same (college) tournaments, so it’s cool to be able to have a match against one another like this. We loved it.”

Macdonald will second that.

“To make it to finals and to play AJ, there’s no one I’d really rather lose to,” said the 21-year-old. “He’s an amazing player. It was fun playing one of your best friends.”

Ott, a junior-to-be at CSU, birdied six of the first seven holes of the match — with a bogey on No. 3 — to grab a 5-up lead. From there on, Macdonald got no closer than 4 down.

The 20-year-old Ott shot a 4-under-par 67 in the first 18 and led 7 up. He earned a conceded eagle from 12 feet on the par-4 seventh hole in the afternoon to go 9 up, then halved the final three holes. Had Ott made a 4-foot par putt on the 28th hole, he would have won 10 and 8, but he lipped it out, settling for a 9-and-8 margin.

“I didn’t think about the margin the whole round because I knew I was playing such a great player,” Ott said of Macdonald, winner of two Colorado Junior Amateurs. “I had to leave every hole behind me and focus on my next shot.”

Ott said he chatted on Thursday night with CSU teammate Jake Staiano, the 2017 CGA Player of the Year, about what to expect in the finals.

“Jake has been in a few of these matches, so I asked him if he had any advice on 36-hole matches,” Ott said. “He gave me some good input. He said to stay patient, and that was the mindset all day. That really helped.”

Macdonald (above and below), a former Colorado junior player of the year himself (in 2014), couldn’t continue his strong play from Thursday, when he was a combined 8 under par for two matches. On Friday, the 2018 Pac-12 Conference runner-up was 5 over par for the 28 holes.

“I couldn’t really get it going the whole day. It’s a long week,” Macdonald said. “AJ and I were both tired and fatigued after playing the Southwestern Amateur (in Scottsdale, Ariz.) last week, then the Match Play.

“Getting off to a slow start, especially against AJ, I knew it was going to be tough. I didn’t have my best stuff. I tried to fight, but I was just so far back. It was asking a lot. And he wasn’t going to stop (playing well). I was just in a hole and I was trying to dig myself out.”

Each of the two finalists played eight rounds of golf in five days at Ravenna, including six rounds in the last three days. To add to that, Ott was driving back and forth each day to his home in Fort Collins, often with tee times in the 7 a.m. range.

“It’s been a really long week,” he said. “We were both just exhausted all day today. I got up at 3:45 this morning and drove down at 4:30. But I was so excited. It was fun.”
 

CGA Match Play
At The Club at Ravenna in Littleton

THURSDAY’S QUARTERFINALS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Chris Korte, CGA Club, 1 up
Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, def. Jake Staiano, Glenmoor CC, 19 holes
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, def. Jackson Solem, The Fox Hill Club, 5 and 3
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Jake Ice, Walking Stick GC, 5 and 4

THURSDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, 1 up
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 3 and 1

FRIDAY’S 36-HOLE FINAL
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, 9 and 8

To view the brackets from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Consider it a Rocky Mountain Showdown, only with clubs.

There have been other CGA Match Play finals that have featured golfers from both the University of Colorado and Colorado State University — most recently in 2013, when CU’s David Oraee prevailed over CSU’s Parker Edens — but the current installment of the rivalry on the golf course will take place on Friday.

This time around, it will be Ross Macdonald from CU and the Country Club at Castle Pines taking on AJ Ott from CSU and Ptarmigan Country Club in a scheduled 36-hole final that will conclude the 118th CGA Match Play at The Club at Ravenna in Littleton.

“I know AJ well,” Macdonald said. “I know he’s a Ram; that’s the only thing I don’t like. No, he’s a great friend — in golf and outside. I’m really looking forward to it.”

Both of the college players won two matches for the second straight day on Thursday, highlighted by the 530-yard par-5 14th hole Thursday afternoon. That’s where Ott (left) made a double eagle in his semifinal (4 iron from 220 yards) and Macdonald narrowly missed one of his own 10 minutes later, settling for a mere eagle there after a 7-iron from 178 yards finished 5 feet from the cup.

Ott didn’t see his shot turn into an albatross — his first in competition — but was elated nonetheless.

“I couldn’t do that out of another 500 balls,” he said. “It was a lucky bounce. But it was a good match.”

Said Macdonald, who was informed of the feat as he approached the 14th green: “I was a little rattled by it. That is incredible. To make it with that (front pin), that’s almost unheard of.”

That hole gave Ott a 2-up lead and helped lift him to a 3 and 1 semifinal victory over 28-year-old Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club, the 2012 champion and the last mid-am remaining in the bracket. And Macdonald’s eagle squared up his match after he was 3 down through eight to Josh Hill of the Omni Interlocken Resort, who was 5 under through his first seven holes.

Macdonald (left), who had 2014 champion and current Ravenna assistant pro Cody Kent caddying for him in the afternoon, went 1 up on 15 when Hill lost his ball on his tee shot and Macdonald made a conceded birdie. The CU golfer went on to prevail 1 up when Hill narrowly missed a 7-foot birdie attempt on the final hole. In the semis, Ott played his final six holes in 6 under par, while Macdonald was 5 under for his final 18 after being 3 under in the quarterfinals.

In those quarterfinals, Macdonald ended the nine-match win streak of defending champion Chris Korte in this event. The CU junior-to-be beat the recent University of Denver graduate 1 up by getting up and down from a bunker from 60 yards to halve the 18th hole.

“I shot 68 in the morning and 66 in the afternoon and made one bogey all day,” noted Macdonald. “I played really solid and didn’t do anything stupid.

“I didn’t have a great range session this morning so I wasn’t quite sure. I told myself to stay in it, one hole at a time. That’s what my assistant coach (at CU, Pat Grady) told me and he’s won this before (in 2005). He said eliminate the dumb stuff. If you don’t have a chance to look at a pin, then (hit it to) 30 feet and put the pressure on them to make a putt. I kind of did that all day, and it was good enough.”

In his quarterfinal, Ott defeated former Colorado State-Pueblo golfer Jake Ice 5 and 4.

“It’s awesome” to make the final, Ott said. “It’s been a lot of golf (six rounds from Monday through Thursday), that’s for sure. I didn’t have my best stuff in a few of my earlier matches, but I played nice this morning and played good this afternoon. Now I’ll just rest up and get ready for another 36.”

For Ott, it wasn’t like his double eagle on No. 14 in the afternoon was an isolated good shot. In fact, right after his albatross, Dorfman put the pressure on by hitting his approach on 15 to within a foot. After conceding that birdie, Ott proceeded to hit his to 4 feet and halve the hole with a birdie.

“He threw a great shot in there,” Ott said of Dorfman. “I had to sack up and hit a good one. It felt good to make birdie there, especially after making two on the last hole.”

Macdonald (left, with Kent) and Ott are certainly no strangers, having played plenty of junior and college golf together over the last seven or eight years. Both are former male junior players of the year in the state (Macdonald in 2014 and Ott in 2016). In college, Macdonald finished second in this year’s Pac-12 Championships and Ott was fifth in the Mountain West Conference tournament. Both players will be juniors, eligibility-wise, in 2018-19. Ott is 20 years old and Macdonald 21.

Asked what it would mean to prevail on Friday and earn the trophy, Ott said, “It would be awesome. It’s going to be fun. I’ve never made it even close to this far in the match play. So it would mean a lot.”
 

CGA Match Play
At The Club at Ravenna in Littleton
QUARTERFINALS

Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Chris Korte, CGA Club, 1 up
Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, def. Jake Staiano, Glenmoor CC, 19 holes
Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, def. Jackson Solem, The Fox Hill Club, 5 and 3
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Jake Ice, Walking Stick GC, 5 and 4

SEMIFINALS
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, def. Josh Hill, Omni Interlocken Resort, 1 up
AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, def. Brian Dorfman, Cherry Creek CC, 3 and 1

FRIDAY’S 36-HOLE FINAL
Ross Macdonald, CC at Castle Pines, vs. AJ Ott, Ptarmigan CC, 7 a.m.

To view the brackets from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.

Korte, who just graduated from the University of Denver, was one of two former champions to win two matches on Wednesday and earn quarterfinal berths in the CGA’s oldest championship. Likewise advancing was 2012 champion Brian Dorfman of Cherry Creek Country Club.

Korte (left) defeated 2016 CGA Amateur champion Colin Prater of The Broadmoor Golf Club 3 and 1 in the round of 16. The former DU golfer made an eagle, seven birdies and nine pars in the 17 holes of a match in which he never trailed.

Meanwhile, Dorfman was 2 down to former University of Colorado golfer Brennan Dolan of Walnut Creek Golf Preserve through 15 holes, but won three of the last four to prevail in 19 holes in the round of 16. Earlier in the day, Dolan had beaten another former champion, 2015 winner Nick Nosewicz of Meadow Hills Golf Course, 2 up.

Joining Korte and Dorfman in the quarterfinals will be Colorado State University teammates AJ Ott of Ptarmigan Country Club and Jake Staiano of Glenmoor Country Club; stroke-play medalist Jackson Solem of The Fox Hill Club, a DU teammate of Korte last season; University of Colorado golfer Ross Macdonald of the Country Club at Castle Pines; former CSU-Pueblo golfer Jake Ice of Walking Stick Golf Course; and Josh Hill of Guilford College and the Omni Interlocken Resort.

In Thursday’s quarterfinals, Korte will face Macdonald, Staiano will play Hill, Solem will take on Dorfman, and Ott will meet Ice. Then the semifinals await on Thursday afternoon, setting the stage for Friday’s 36-hole final.

For results from the CGA Match Play, CLICK HERE.

That drought didn’t end on Wednesday, but the Buffs certainly made it interesting.

CU crept within three strokes of team leader Southern California in the final 30 minutes of the Pac-12 Championship in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif., but couldn’t quite get over the hump. The Buffs had to settle for a second-place team showing — the program’s best since joining the Pac-12 in 2011 and its top conference finish since a runner-up performance at the Big 12 tournament in 2009.

In an event unusual in a couple of respects — it lasts four rounds and teams are comprised of six players, with the best five scores counting each round — CU posted a final total of 27-under-par 1,393. That left the Buffs four strokes behind champion USC.

There were many contributors to CU’s showing, but unquestionably among the biggest was Colorado resident Ross Macdonald, a two-time Colorado Junior Amateur champion and the winner of the 2017 CGA Western Chapter title.

Macdonald, a sophomore contributing to a CU team score for the first time since September, was the No. 6 man in the Buffs’ lineup, but tied for the team’s top finisher, placing second. It was Macdonald’s best individual showing ever in a college tournament. Coming into this event, he’d gone an impressive sixth-fourth-fourth in his most recent starts, albeit against lesser fields.

Macdonald went 69-69-67-67 for a 12-under-par 272 total, which left him four shots behind winner Justin Suh of Southern California, who went eagle-birdie on Nos. 15 and 16 on Wednesday.

Among those sharing second place was CU senior Yannik Paul, who carded rounds of 68-69-68-67. Paul earned his first individual victory in a major college tournament 10 days ago, and on Wednesday notched his fifth top-six individual performance of the season. (Pictured above, from left, are Macdonald, CU coach Roy Edwards and Paul in a CU photo.)

Rounding out the scores for the Buffs were John Souza (16th, 281), Daniel O’Loughlin (27th, 284), Spencer Painton (55th, 291) and Trevor Olkowski (58th, 292).

Next up for CU will be next month’s NCAA Regionals.

Men’s Pac-12 Championship
April 23-25, 2018 (final) in Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.
2. (out of 12 teams) Colorado 348-351-347-347–1393
2. Yannik Paul 68-69-68-67–272
2. Ross Macdonald 69-69-67-67–272
16. John Souza 70-70-68-73–281
27. Daniel O’Loughlin 68-77-72-67–284
55. Spencer Painton 74-72-72-73–291
58. Trevor Olkowski 73-71-75-73–292
Also
52. Coloradan Kyler Dunkle, Utah 76-67-74-73–290
 

It’s been a long time since Ross Macdonald tasted victory in a golf tournament, but a trip out west worked wonders.

The University of Colorado golfer ended the drought on Sunday with a three-shot win in the 35th CGA Western Chapter Championship at Tiara Rado Golf Course in Grand Junction. It was the first victory in almost three years for the golfer from the Country Club at Castle Pines — since he claimed two significant Colorado junior titles in 2014.

“It’s been a while,” said the 21-year-old, who won the 2013 and ’14 Colorado Junior Amateur. “So this means everything. It’s awesome to be able to finally get it done. That feeling of winning a tournament is really cool.”

This weekend marked Macdonald’s first time competing in the Western Chapter Championship.

“I know I’ve been close to winning a tournament,” he said. “That’s actually why I went out here. I wanted to get a win. Obviously I got that done, so it feels good. That gets the confidence up.”

Macdonald, who redshirted last season at CU, put together two very strong rounds at Tiara Rado, going 67-66 for a 9-under-par 133 total. Only one other player — University of Denver golfer Isaac Petersilie from Colorado Springs Country Club — finished under par for two rounds.

Macdonald made a dozen birdies over 36 holes and his 66 on Sunday matches his low tournament score ever.

“I was hitting the ball in really good spots off the tee,” he said. “My wedges were really dialed in and I was making some solid putts. I didn’t ever do anything erratic the whole week(end), so I think that helped out a lot.”

Petersilie, who followed up Macdonald’s Junior Amateur wins with a victory in that event in 2015, matched Macdonald’s 66 on Sunday to check in at 136. Petersilie also had a seven-birdie, two-bogey day in round 2.

Petersilie, a former state high school champion, started round 2 three back of Macdonald, but he caught the CU golfer with his seventh birdie of the day, at No. 14. Macdonald pulled back in front — for good — with a birdie on No. 15, then a Petersilie bogey on 16 and a Macdonald birdie on 18 accounted for the three-shot margin of victory.

Claiming third place on Sunday was Chris Carlson of Highlands Ranch Golf Club, who carded back-to-back 71s for a 142 total. Barrett Jones of Eagle Ranch Golf Course, runner-up in the CGA Junior Am earlier this week, ended up fourth at 143 after a closing 73.

In the senior division, Brian Woody (left) of the Ridge at Castle Pines North went wire-to-wire for the title. He shot a 4-over-par 75 on Sunday, giving him a 5-over 147 total and a two-stroke victory. Woody’s second round was highlighted by an eagle on the 455-yard par-5 second hole.

Keith Atkins of Highland Meadows Golf Course placed second at 149 after posting a 73 on Sunday. Former CGA Senior Player of the Year Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch tied for third at 151, along with Owen Ellis of Flatirons Golf Course, Thomas Roos of Spring Valley Golf Club, Shane Unfred of Highland Meadows and Gary Driber of the Ridge at Castle Pines North.

For scores from the Western Chapter Championship, CLICK HERE.

The two-time Colorado Junior Amateur champion (pictured) made five birdies and one bogey in round 1.

Next best going into Sunday’s final round of the 36-hole event are 2015 Colorado Junior Amateur winner Isaac Petersilie of Colorado Springs Country Club and the University of Denver, and Barrett Jones of Eagle Ranch Golf Course, the runner-up this week in the Colorado Junior Am. Jones carded an eagle and a bogey on Saturday for his 70, while Petersilie had two birdies and a bogey.

At even-par 72 on Saturday were Chris Carlson of Highlands Ranch Golf Club and John Buccos of the Riverdale Golf Courses.

Tristan Rohrbaugh of Ironbridge Golf Club, winner of this championship two years ago and runner-up last year, posted a first-round 75.

In the senior division, Brian Woody of the Ridge at Castle Pines North took a one-stroke lead at 1-over-par 72, making three birdies on the day.

Owen Ellis of Flatirons Golf Course made a hole-in-one at the 94-yard 14th hole and shares second place among the seniors at 73. Also at that figure are former CGA Senior Player of the Year Harry Johnson of Eagle Ranch Golf Course, Cary Dilzell of the Golf Club at Redlands Mesa, Thomas Roos of Spring Valley Golf Club, Scott Sullivan of Bookcliff Country Club and Doug Jones of Tiara Rado.

For scores from the Western Chapter Championship, CLICK HERE.
 

The 36-hole event will include open and senior flights, with gross and net divisions.

Coloradan Kyler Dunkle won’t defend his title as he’ll be competing in U.S. Amateur qualifying on Monday in Highland, Utah. Dunkle advanced to the round of 16 at the 2016 U.S. Am.

But the Western Chapter field will include Tristan Rohrbaugh of Carbondale, who won the championship in 2015 and was runner-up to Dunkle last year. Rohrbaugh, a former 3A state high school champion who plays his college golf at Boise State, qualified for last year’s U.S. Am.

Also scheduled to compete this weekend are Ross Macdonald and Isaac Petersilie, winners of every Colorado Junior Amateur from 2013 to ’15, with Macdonald capturing two of those three. Macdonald is a University of Colorado golfer, while Petersilie plays at the University of Denver.

The Western Chapter senior division field includes David Delich and Harry Johnson, both former CGA Senior Players of the Year.

A year ago in U.S. Open Local Qualifying, Rich Lash shot an 84. Needless to say, Monday’s 3-under-par 68 was considerably more satisfying.

And the way the Denver resident earned a share of medalist honors in U.S. Open Local Qualifying at CommonGround Golf Course in Aurora made it all the more so.

After playing his first six holes in 4 over par, he went 7 under for his last dozen, highlighted by a 20-foot eagle on No. 11.

“Really, it’s been a grind,” said Lash, a PGA instructor at Bear Creek Golf Club who once played on the Alps Tour in Europe. “I’ve had some tough times — almost giving up and stuff. There haven’t been a whole lot of highlights, to be honest with you. So this really feels good to put up a good number. Today I just got the putter hot and kept going.”

The 31-year-old was part of a diverse group of five golfers — three professionals and two amateurs, ranging in age from 18 to 35 — who on Monday punched their tickets to the second and final stage of U.S. Open Qualifying.

Jackson Solem of Longmont, a University of Denver golf signee who will graduate from high School on Friday, shared medalist honors in the U.S. Open Local Qualifier with two longtime professionals, Lash and Jacob Lestishen of Lone Tree. All three carded 3-under-par 68s at CommonGround, the CGA-owned and operated facility.

Joining Lestishen, Solem and Lash (pictured, from left) in advancing to 36-hole Sectional Qualifying, which will be held on June 5 at 10 sites in the U.S., will be University of Colorado golfer Ross Macdonald of Castle Pines and Andy Connell of Denver, a PGA instructor at CommonGround. Both of them shot 69s and prevailed in a four-man playoff for the final two Sectional berths.

Connell and Macdonald two-putted for birdie on the first playoff hole — the par-5 18th — from 20 feet and 60 feet, respectively, to advance. Two former Colorado Christian University golfers, 2016 CGA Match Play champion Nathaniel Goddard of Fort Collins and Jack Cummings of Arvada, made par and were left in the alternate positions after also shooting 69s. Cummings, who made two eagles in regulation on Monday, parred the second playoff hole to earn the first alternate spot.
 
Solem (left), the 2015 4A state high school champion who finished third at the 2015 AJGA Hale Irwin Colorado Junior at CommonGround, shined again at the course on Monday. He was 5 under par through 10 holes, then overcame three consecutive bogeys in the middle of the back nine and finished with a birdie.

“This means everything,” the 18-year-old said. “I’ve grown up watching the U.S. Open with my dad. It’s something that’s always been a goal for me. I’ve always been working hard for it and I really haven’t performed in those situations, so it’s really cool to actually get to do it this time.”

Connell, the 35-year-old son of Colorado Golf Hall of Famer Tom Connell, will be going to his fourth Sectional and Lestishen to his second, while Solem, Lash and Macdonald will be making their Sectional debuts. None of the five has made it to the U.S. Open, which this year will be held June 15-18 at Erin Hills in Erin, Wis.

“The U.S. Open has always been a dream of mine,” said Lesthishen, who also advanced to Sectionals in 2009, the year he turned pro after playing college golf at the University of New Mexico. “It’ll be fun to give it another shot and see if I can get through. It’s been a while, so I’m excited about that.”

Lestishen played the par-5s in 4 under par on Monday, draining a 35-foot eagle on No. 7.

Connell (left) was a local favorite on Monday as he’s been a longtime fixture at CommonGround as an instructor, one who has a major role in junior programming at the CGA course. He estimates he’s played about 100 rounds at the CommonGround over the years.

“Obviously, tee to green out here I know the course,” he said. “I know where to hit it. I really don’t even need to look at yardages. But the firmness of the golf course today and the speed of the greens were something I haven’t seen out here. This is my first tournament round out here. I had a 6-footer on the 10th hole to start the day and hit it about 5 feet past. It took me a little bit to get used to the greens. It played tough, harder than I expected.

“I’m really looking forward to having another crack at Sectionals. Obviously it’s a lot of fun to play in. It gives you a good chance to measure your game against some of the best players.”

Macdonald (below), a two-time Junior Amateur champion in Colorado, is coming off a redshirt season at CU, so he’s trying to get back into peak tournament form. On Monday, he was certainly solid, with three birdies — all on par-5s — to go along with a bogey.

“Definitely for me it’s been getting back into the swing of things,” he said. “Obviously early in the season you make some silly mistakes, but I just try to eliminate big mistakes and put myself in good positions and get solid with the putter.

“It’s huge, obviously, to have a chance to play in the U.S. Open. It’s a long shot (to make it) — there’s a lot of really good players in Sectionals and a lot of pros — but I’ll try to enjoy it and play as well as I can.”

In all, 84 players registered for Monday’s qualifying tournament, with 79 actually teeing it up.

Last week at the first Colorado-based Local Qualifying tournament, Zahkai Brown of Golden, Josh Seiple of Castle Rock, Pat Grady of Denver, Jake Staiano of Englewood and Jon Lindstrom of Broomfield earned spots into Sectionals. Lindstrom originally was the first alternate, but he advanced when Chris Thayer of Golden withdrew the day after qualifying for Sectionals.

The third and final Colorado-based U.S. Open Local Qualifier will take place on Tuesday at Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins, where another five players will advance to Sectionals.
 

U.S. Open Local QualifyingӬ
At Par-71 CommonGround GC in Aurora
ADVANCE TO SECTIONALS
Rich Lash, Denver 38-30–68
Jackson Solem, Longmont 32-36–68
Jacob Lestishen, Lone Tree 34-34–68
Ross Macdonald, Castle Pines 35-34–69
Andy Connell, Denver 35-34–69

ALTERNATES (in order)Ӭ
Jack Cummings, Arvada 36-33–69
Nathaniel Goddard, Fort Collins 33-36–69

For complete results, CLICK HERE.